OUR CRUISE TO MEXICO IN FEBRUARY 2008
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		We flew to San Diego and boarded the Holland America ship, Ryndam.  OUR ITINERARY       The loving couple heads south to San Diego to enjoy two weeks aboard the MS Ryndam.   The Ryndam is parked in the Cabo SanLucas harbour.  The pelican is catching a little shut-eye.   Old Town San Diego was our home for two nights. We went walking through the Botanical Garden at Balboa Park.   The Westfield Horton  Plaza amused us for an hour or so.  Joan bought a pair of yellow "cruising" shoes. Mexican food was usually to  our liking. We had it often, beginning at the Old Town Mexican Cafe. Dave looks the part at a Wells Fargo museum in Old Town, San Diego.       Many tropical sunsets and sunrises await us on board the ship.   Our group of friends from Oregon pose for a "timer" photo.  We en- joyed many "Happy Hours" together.   The Ryndam staff  always made us feel welcome. Barbecue on the Lido, volleyball, table tennis, Trivia, Bingo.   Every dinner had sur- prises in food design.  We were constantly photo- graphing the presenta- tions. Each night a new towel sculpture greeted us when we returned to the cabin after the show.  The enter- tainers were some of the best we've seen. A trio played for the lineup on the Cabo dock. The drummer was a boy of about 7 or 8.  They did well on tips. Ama and Papa get a shock when a wave  hits unexpectedly while they're "barefootn".  Picture by  Sharon.    This rich looking yacht attracted attention with its helicopter stored on the stern.   Papa poses with the famous  mermaid  on the Puerto Vallarta  Malecon. Papa kissing an iguana? This big fella was at a restaurant on our Mazatlan tour. One dollar for a snuggle.  Shrimp are big business around the Sea of Cortez. They are usually BIG.  Many kinds are available. Our main reason for taking this cruise was to take a train trip up the famous Copper Canyon. The train tracks switched back and forth constantly as it climbed the valley.  Tunnels were frequent. We could stand in the wind between the cars. Tarahumara natives sold woven baskets for $2.  Each basket was made from combinations of grass fibre and pine needles. The journey to the can- yon took 2 hours on a bus and 6 hours on a train. We left the ship at 4 am and got back at 10 pm. The Mirador Hotel perches  on the canyon's edge. Some of our Oregon friends had spent a couple of nights there.  We felt the long day was worth the discomfort.  It was a "been there, done that", kind of place.   Not a journey we'd take a second time.   In the small town of Loreto we toured an old mission, one of the first built by the Spanish Catholics.   The walls formed a square about half a football field in area.  Rooms and covered walkways skirted the walls.  On a hot, hot day, Papa loved to cool down with a wade in the ocean. Watching sea birds in the harbour was one of our favourite things to do. Here we've caught an egret and cormorant. The turkey vulture in these southern waters looks much like the one around Victoria.  Ugly! Pelicans were thriving in  most ports.  They were a delight for us to watch but the locals consider them incorrigible pests. This dock in La Paz was being used by a fisherman using a "snag" technique. He'd hurl his hook and line into the middle of a visible school of fish and pull hard.  Some results are in the bucket. This resort, Hotel Solmar, in Cabo San Lucas faces out to the Pacific. It's a stunning place. This gorgeous pool sits on the sand in front of the hotel.  We found a cache up on the rocky hillside.  Papa is a tiny blue dot in the photo. The view from the top was spectacular but the hillside was hot and dangerous. Parasailing was all around us.  It wasn't always real people, but advertising "dummies"